Front Wheel Bearings

Well went riding over the weekend and I was about 6 miles from home when the wheel bearing went completely out. It had been screeching for the better part of the day so I took it easy. So I got a new set on order. So has anyone had to replace bearings yet? I will get some pics on how far out the tire got when I get to replacing them.

Helped a friend change some out on the trail in Brimestone Tenn. Their not too hard. How many miles do you have on yours. This was a 660 with 1500 miles and aftermarket rims and many rolls under its belt! He rode his way to long with them bad and destroyed the spendal as well. Yours should be easier because he had the bearing case egg shaped and we had to beat it back round the best we could and drive the bearings back in it. Mine has 1500 miles on it right now and I am thinking of getting a set for back up in case mine go sometime. As far as pics the tires do get to have a very nasty lean to them when the bearings go out!
Let me know the miles you have on yours if you would I am kinda worried about how fast the can go from what looks and feels ok to OH Sh!t. I don't want to do another one of these on the trail if I can help it.

I have around a 1000 miles of mud and trails along with some road riding. I have aftermarket rimes and tires on mine but no roll overs but a couple of hits on the tire. I probly got about 30 miles on mine since I heard the squeeling so I am hoping it didn't ruin the spindle. I have't torn into it yet but looking at it, it started to pull the dust seal out of the inside of the spindle torward the axle.

I have replaced mine all around two times. 2900 miles on my Rhino. Below is a pic of mine after the bearings seized and came apart. My spindle, and brake rotor were trashed too.

i have changed the wheel bearings on my rhino 6 or 7 times if not more. you should check them every month or 2 and if there loose change them. i try to keep a new set on hand. the easiest way i have found to change the fronts is to take the a arms off and leave the ball joints alone because there a pain in the butt to get out of the spindle with out messing them up.

I know my left front tire is starting to sqeek ever now and then when I turn to the right so I don't kow if its getting ready to go but I checked them not very long ago and they were all 4 tight. The off set of the after market rims I always thought were kinda of hard on wheel bearing due to them sticking out farther and having more leverage to "work" on the bearings overtime. :152: Thanks for the input.

Another note. These bearings can be repacked. This is a video for trailor wheel bearings but it works just the same. As Bush said if there the slightest amount of play they should be changed.

http://www.etrailer.com/tv-repack_trailer_hub_bearings.aspx

Yeah but other than the normal seals you have to replace to do this job the bearings themselves have a rubber like seal on them when they are new or still in good shape. That is why they are called sealed bearings even though they still have the normal seals you install after the bearings. That makes it so you can't repack these or at least they will never last very long after you do. The bearings used on the front and the rear of these things are nothing like what you would find on your rv or trailer axle.
So I guess what I am saying while you maybe able to repack them your would be ruining the sealed bearing part and therefore they will not last long at all. Trailer axle wheel bearings are a whole different type of bearing set up. Ebay has both sides front bearing and seals for $40 shipped and both sides rear bearings and seals for $47. Pretty cheap fix in my book. Oh and yamaha wants $50+ per side so you know where I'm getting my bearings from!!

Also looked and the wheel bearing part #s from the 660s are the same as the ones for the 700s. So on ebay if it says it will only work for the 660s or 450s they just haven't done the work to see they will also work on the 700s.

I'm cheap and am always looking for the best buy even if it takes alittle of my time. Gotta love the internet you can find everthing you need at your finger tips. That I can figure out what parts work better than more parts counters can.

Well thats my tip for the day!

Farmer

i always pack grease in the new bearings. its easy to pop the seals off and put them back in the bearings. the new bearings dont have much grease in them. but i never take them out and repack them. if i take them out a new set goes in.

pivot bearing makes a good replacement at a affordable price and most parts houses can order for you or go to pivot bearing and see who your local dealer is

Checked mine today and they are still good or atleast have no play. I'll find out this weekend on my trip. I guess I just always worried about messing up the seal. Sorry guess I was wrong. Bush did you know how many miles you were getting out of your bearings or did it have a speedo. Found ebay was a cheap place to get brakes aswell.

don't know about the miles. but i ride HARD in a lot of mud and water. i get the bearings off ebay and my brakes too.

the seals on the new bearings are easy to pop off. just use a small screwdriver.

Take a pick like the kind your dentist might use. You can remove the seal with out damaging them. If they are squeaking with no play, you can get some more miles out of them. But only if you repack them. If they have signs of rust go with the new ones. They can be repacked while still in the knuckle just not as well if you remove them. Sealed only means they arent readily open like a trailor wheel bearing. The process of repacking a bearing is the same, sealed or not. Here are some instructions

http://www.ty-coon.com/repack.html

Some pics

http://www.ty-coon.com/repack.html

Repacking bearings will extend the life of a bearing.

heres a set of rear bearings that was just a little loose. as you can see if ran for much longer they would have gave out and damaged the axle and knuckle.

Well I tore into mine and found that the bearings were blew apart I still have to get the outer bearing ring out of the inside of the spindle. Like bush said I have to replace the lower ball joint now to. I also found the both sets of front pads are shot so I had to order all that today. Any idea on getting that ring out i am going to put the heat to it when I go back out.

i use a piece of solid steel pipe that is about 1/2inch around and 10inchs long and very hard metal that my dad got from the mines. i just catch it on the very small lip where the bearing and spacer touch and hit it a few times with a hammer and they pop right out. works the same it the bearing is busted just catch it on the rounded part where the balls run and knock it out. i never have used heat but a lot of people use heat and it works for them.

Well I had to use heat I tried everything worked great no problems. As for the bearings I took the plastic off of them and packed them with more grease like you said seems to work great now. I through it togethor to make a fishing trip yesterday, but I am now waiting on the ball joint and front brakes to come in.

What happened to the ball joint?